When setting a due date for a task or follow-up flag in Outlook, there have traditionally been two ways to enter it into the date field: Type in the date (attempting to format it exactly as Outlook expects it), or select the date from a small pop-up calendar. But there's an easier way.

With Outlook 2000, you can type a description of the date, and it will automatically convert the description to a number format. For example, if you type one week from today in a date field, Outlook displays the numbers that represent the correct month, day, and year.

You can also type in a firm date using a common format such as the following:

• March 12th
• April twenty-fifth
• Second of Nov.

Abbreviations such as "Mon." for Monday and "Aug." for August also work. You can even type in the names of most holidays that fall on the same date every year, such as Veteran's Day, Christmas, Independence Day, or even Mexico's Cinco de Mayo.